Enigma
by Shortness
Summary: Years after the prophecy was fulfilled, Raven still feels haunted by the memory of Trigon's destruction. But is it only a memory, or perhaps more? Another side of her has yet to be revealed, and slowly but surely, the truth of her existence will be brought to light. Ashamed of this reality, Raven confides in the only person she trusts with the knowledge of her true being.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter 1

She loved the rain.

There was something so euphoric about watching the droplets fall from the point of view of the Earth; they were like thin slithers of crystals and silver shining down onto the ground. She blinked a few times when the water fell into her eyes, and, as silly as she felt doing it, stuck her tongue out to catch a few drops of water.

Abruptly, the rain began to downpour and shrouded her body with a coat of sleek opalescent liquid. Her skin glistened in the glow of rainfall, and the sensation excited her deep inside. _You will never be perfect._

The sky began to loom over her, changing colors and turning into a deep shade of red. It began to churn and the Earth began to rock, slowly but surely. The rain was no longer exhilarating; it had begun to boil. Her skin had taken a scarlet color and she sat up, tears streaming down her face. A pair of eyes came before her, devilish and malevolent.

_My love, I will follow you forever…_

Raven sank deeper into the bathtub, hugging herself close as the fantasy held tight to the edges of her mind. She was starting to feel the dregs of reality pulling her out of her state of suspension between consciousness and her dream state. They were becoming increasingly horrifying, and were no longer an enjoyable escape from life.

She opened her eyes and began to ground herself as she breathed slowly, her heart rate slowed, and her stomach had calmed it's unease.

She rolled over onto her belly and her damp violet locks fell over in her face, bringing about the urge to tug a strand into her mouth with her lips.

_Is it wrong to feel so incomplete after sending my father into oblivion?_

Raven pushed herself up onto her feet and stepped out of the bathtub, grabbing her soft onyx towel and wrapping it around her small body. As she was preparing to walk out of the bathroom, she heard the door's auto-lock being opened on the other side.

"Um…do you mind?" The fidgeting of the door stopped and she heard a muffled apologetic voice.

"Ooh, I'm-Uhh…Sorry, I just-"

"You know what, it's fine. I was just leaving." She opened the door to glare angrily at a blushing Robin. He stepped back as she walked out of the bathroom, staring at him.

"When is my bathroom going to be finished? This is literally the third time someone has interrupted my privacy. I cannot continue to deal with using this hallway's bathroom." He seemed a bit star struck for a few seconds before replying to her question. "Erm.._third_?"

She crossed her arms and rolled her eyes. "Yes, third. Just ask Beast Boy how it feels to get tossed into the ninth dimension."

He scratched the back of his head nervously, stepping back. "Um, well, it was pretty much an accident on my part. But ask Cy, I think he's just about done…actually, I think he's in there now, I hear his construction." Raven's eyes widened. "Shit! I forgot to get my clothes! I didn't think he'd start on it so early today."

She flew to her room across the hall, phasing inside and after a few moments, Cyborg was being shoved out of her doorway with an electronic screw driver in tow. "Geez, you said it would be cool if I started early!"

"Well, I have to get dressed!" With that, the door slammed shut.

Cyborg looked over at Robin, who simply shrugged. "I'm just as confused as you, bro."

"Well, make sure she's out by ten, because I'm on a time constraint. I've gotta start working on the pool next."

Robin waited for twenty minutes before checking back with Raven, and wondered if she was actually dressed. Was it really that difficult to slip on such a tiny suit? Although she had begun to wear a new solid black catsuit that appeared to be a second skin rather than clothes, there were times were she opted to wear her leotard on warm days.

He knocked and a much calmer toned woman now faced him. She looked more relaxed, as if she had taken some time to meditate before entrenching herself in the daily nonsenses of Titan's Tower.

"Can I help you?"

"Come with me to get some coffee." She raised an eyebrow. "Okay, in your case, some tea. I know a spot not too far from the bay that isn't terrible. It'll give Cyborg some time to finish your bathroom."

She crossed her arms, holding an unreadable facial expression that eventually softened. She had no reason to be angry at him; he was only trying to keep the peace. "Right. Let's go, then."

"You always like yours black, right?"

Raven sat down across from Robin in a small café in the city after bringing their orders to the table. She was mostly motivated to accompany him on this outing because the hectic morning shifters had already come for their breakfasts and the busy lunch crowd had yet to come.

"As always, Rae." The pair enjoyed the fair silence that was stifled traffic noises and inaudible conversations of other dining civilians. Robin looked up at the woman before him, and suddenly felt streams of nostalgia invade his senses. He had watched his team grow and blossom into adults, and now that the worst of their troubles had somewhat settled down, he was finally able to admire their evolution.

Because of her healing powers, Raven had aged gracefully without the weathering qualities of battle scars. Her high cheekbones had earned more definition and her amethyst eyes emanated great wisdom that surpassed her youth. She was no longer an awkward, introverted teen. She had become a stunningly gracious woman.

"You look…different." She turned her head from her firm gaze at the active city outside the window. She cocked her head to the side in interest. "Different, how?"

"You act different, too. Since the…end of the world, thing. I've just noticed you've changed." Raven adjusted herself in the seat to sit upright. "But that was a few years ago…if you've been noticing a change in me for that long, why didn't you say something earlier?"

Robin shrugged. "It's not every day that we go out for coffee, just you and I." She chuckled softly and sipped her cooled tea. "You still could've said something Robin." She grew quiet for a moment before he realized that her small smile had faded.

"Actually, I noticed it too…" Her fingers tapped nimbly against her cup. "I…I thought that…since I was freed from the restraints of my father's control, my life would be a lot different. I thought I'd have the freedom to feel…emotion…without the repercussions of my powers taking control of me. I do have somewhat of a newfound freedom but something…something hasn't felt right since I had become the portal. I feel…slightly empty. It's just gotten worse, the feeling." She turned her head away from his captivated stare.

"Could it be Trigon?" She shook her head, her face frowning with scrutiny. "No, I don't sense him anymore. I would've known if it was him. No…but whatever it is, I can't escape it. I feel it in my sleep, when I project my soul self, and especially when I meditate."

Robin grabbed her hand and forced her to face his strong eyes. They were powerful even under the mask. "Whatever it is, we'll stop it. You're not alone, Raven. Always remember that." She blushed and looked away, bashfully nodding in agreement.

"Dude, this is the thirteenth time you've won in a row! I'm sick of getting my butt kicked, can we _please_ call it a night?" Beast Boy wined as the game system announced Cyborg to be the winner once again. He cackled in enjoyment and stood up to power down the noisy video game.

"Alright , BB, I'll let you live this one time. You know if it was you beating me, you would've wanted to play another round, but I won't prolong your suffering." Starfire giggled softly. She was always there to watch and be entertained by their bantering.

"It is most amusing to see you two exaggerate your efforts to humiliate each other in an unrealistic virtual world. However, I must agree with Beast Boy, for I, too, wish to retire to my room. Raven shut her book and stood up, obviously preparing to leave with the other Titans.

Starfire peered over Robin's shoulder, who was engrossed in his laptop and typing away. "Will you go to bed with us, Robin?" He shook his head, keeping his eyes glued to the screen.

"Can't. Have to finish this report. I'm almost done, though."

"Depends on what he means by _almost_," Cyborg mumbled to Beast Boy. Robin stopped typing and turned his head, staring at his teammates.

"Don't worry about me guys; I'll be sure to sleep tonight."

The team left through the hallway doors and headed to the elevators, but Raven turned around to see Robin back to working intently. "Don't stay up all night, Robin."

He quietly snickered, but held fast to his laptop. "I promise I won't."

After she left, it seemed like hours before he heard a sound in the common room. The air conditioner automatically shut on, making a loud whirring noise. Robin sat his computer to the side and stretched and arched his back. He peeled his mask off and rubbed his eyes and neck, realizing that he did in fact need some rest.

He stood up and walked towards the floor-to-ceiling windows, watching the night life of the city glow with bright lights. He sighed heavily, feeling his aging pull on his stamina. He reminisced on the early days with the Titans, and those times when he would go weeks without a full night's sleep. Those were the glory days… but it seemed as if his angsty teen years of insomnia were catching up to him in his twenties.

_Sssstay…_

Robin shook his head. What the hell was that? Now, he was hearing voices, which clearly meant he was long overdue for a turn in dreamland. He laid his hand and forehead on the window, allowing his skin to absorb the coolness from the glass. It must have been after three in the morning…

Suddenly, the glass grew warm, and quickly became hot to the touch. He jumped back, his eyes dashing in all different directions. Clearly, that was not an illusion. He felt that.

_…You…_

He snatched his bow staff from his utility belt and stepped into a defensive stance. "Who's there?" He felt a cold, venomous sensation that made the hairs on his skin raise. He wondered if it was only the air conditioning, until he noticed a pair of glowing eyes glaring at him in the dark.

"Who are you?" Robin shrieked, noticing a second pair of eyes appearing above the first. His eyes gaped wide as a realization hit him like a brick wall. "_Raven_?"

The eyes narrowed, and a shadowy, nearly formless being stepped out of the dark and into the moonlight glow. _Close, but no._

He lowered his bow staff slightly, staring in awe and a bit of confusion. "Then…?"

_You are just as handsome as I anticipated._

Robin blushed, stepping closer to the creature. "_Who_ are you?" The being's form began to manifest clearer and became less wispy. The shape was more curvilinear and mysterious, yet somehow, familiar.

_I am closer to you than you think, in every sense. We shall meet again, Robin… _The being's hand waved forward, and a rush of warmth filled him inside. With that, it was gone.

Robin's eyes locked intently on the spot where the entity had just disappeared. This must have been a joke…or perhaps not. All he knew was that only one person could possibly have any logical answers for him.

"RAVEN!" Robin banged his fist on her door, aware of the impending demonic reaction he was bound to face from his blatant disregard for her sleep. He could feel her anger emanating from beneath the metal exterior, and her dark powers encapsulated the door as it slid open.

She glared at him, fire spitting out of her eyes. In a masochistic sort of way, she was a bit enticing, with her flushed skin and messy hair—not to mention the fact that she was standing before him in no more than a dark tee-shirt. _Okay, wrong time to be thinking about that._ Robin quickly shook the lusty emotions from his mind before Raven could sense them.

"What…the fuck could you possibly want?" She narrowed her eyes, as if smelling his arousal.

"I saw an apparition that looked like you, in the common room." Raven's lethargic anger dissipated as growing fear replaced it, and her fingers grazed over her gaping mouth. "How do you…I was in my room the whole time."

"That's what I figured," Robin whispered, his eyes narrowing into slits. "It must have been a hologram by-"

"No, I don't think it was a hologram." Raven's fear was thickening his senses now, as if immense worry had overcome her. She looked down the hallway, staring at the darkness looming like a thick blanket as if it was slowly reaching out towards the two Titans.

Her eyes widened, gripping the door pane as she motioned Robin into her room and she promptly she shut the door, attempting to close out the malevolent energy.

As she felt around for her lamp, her nervous voice gave Robin chills and he wondered if she had subconsciously created this ghost-like creature, just like she had manifested her fear into reality years ago. "I thought I was the only one feeling as if I was being haunted," She muttered, clicking on the light switch on the lamp on her nightstand. "I guess I was wrong. I've felt like this for a few years, but now, it seems as if it's getting worse."

She sat down on her bed, silently inviting Robin to have a seat beside her. She stared at the wall facing her, watching the shadows creeping between the bookshelves of ancient texts and the gothic art, mocking her menacingly. "It's not my father. I'm sure of it."

Robin shifted his eyes to the demoness. Her eyebrows were knitted together, indicating a solemn mood. "How can you be so sure? Do you know what this thing really is?" She shrugged her shoulders, looking away as if she was ashamed.

"I just know. My father has a strong aura; it's able to be sensed from dimensions away, especially since I am his offspring. A part of him was in me, and I don't feel it anymore. I don't have that weight on my shoulders, or that…fear. I almost feel…as if I'm missing something. But I can't possibly feel this way because he's gone, there's got to be something else…something more."

_But there is more._

Robin's head shot towards the voice's direction, and Raven rose to her feet, her fingers sparking with power.

"Show yourself!" She exclaimed.

Out of the shadows stepped the apparition, shapely and distinguishable. Two pairs of red glowing orbs glared in the duo's direction. A ragged, yet recognizable voice slipped from her lips, and a cold draft replaced the calm air of the room.

"_There is me…or rather, you._" Suddenly, the entity surged forward in Raven's direction and the light flickered off, leaving them in darkness and shrouded in dread.

_I have a feeling this is going to be long and good. I'm excited! I will continue to progress in this story as I draw __**The Grass Is Greener**__ to a close. Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear from everyone!_


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Raven felt a frosty air current blast through her body as she was furiously pushed backwards and into the window. Knowing of what was next to come, she made an attempt to phase through the impending glass, but strangely, she could not find the power to do so. It was as if she was temporarily disconnected to her central source. She braced herself for the blunt force that was the breaking of the large window.

At the sound of shattering glass, Robin immediately flicked on his utility flashlight to witness a horrified Raven flying in reverse towards the city. "RAVEN!" He screamed at the top of his lungs, feeling the cold sensation of terror travel through his limbs as he threw himself out of the open space, launching his grappling hook and reaching forward to grip her body. He managed to hook his arm around her small waist and rounded the tower to land on the island.

Robin rolled into a rest on his haunches, only to realize that the woman was no longer in his possession and she was phasing into the earth. All that was left visible of her was her outreaching fingertips incased in the wispy air of the ghostly creature. He gripped forward at the last minute, but she was gone. He began to dig ferociously, as if he would somehow find her buried underground.

He stared emptily at the dusty earth before looking up to the starry night sky, realizing that he could hear Starfire's voice echoing behind him. It took him a few seconds before the muffled sounds were registered in his head as his worried teammates.

"What the hell happened, Robin? Where's Raven?" The tall metal man leaned down with his built-in flashlight, mouth agape as he stared at the dirt-soiled gloves of the Boy Wonder.

"She's gone…"

Cyborg opened his communicator and watched as Raven's coordinates appeared nonexistent.

"What has happened? Who destroyed her window? Who has stolen her from us?" Starfire held her arms close, shivering in the cool early morning breeze. Apprehension overcame the group as the silence indicated their concerns—and the thought that Raven may not be there with them to see the morning light.

"It's a long story. She-"

"-Is on the GPS. She's downtown, but the coordinates won't stay put." A sensation that could only be described as a medley of anxiety, relief, and horror swarmed through Robin's mind, and he was not sure if he should have been excited for the best for fearful for the worst.

"Let's go find her."

IIIIIII

Raven felt hungover and heavy, as if someone had dropped one-hundred solid metal weight balls down her throat. She struggled to lift her head and opted to simply turn it to the side in an effort to observe her immediate surroundings. She was slouched against a brick wall in a drafty alley hidden from the slowed early morning city life.

Her mouth opened, making an incomprehensible gurgling sound instead of words. "_Hello, my love,_" whispered a voice that sounded soft and nurturing, but gave her the feeling of death rather than comfort.

Raven's eyes followed the sound and were led to those same menacing eyes in the dark. This time, a figure approached her, manifested whole and complete. She kneeled down to Raven's face, appearing as a mirror of her visage. Her long dark locks fell across her shoulders.

"_Long time, no see. I can tell you are in no position to speak, so I will allow you to only listen._" She paused, staring intently into Raven's big, bold pools of deep violet. Her voice resembled an echoing wail down a long, hollow well.

"_When you became the portal and granted the Great and All Powerful Trigon the Terrible access to the miserable dimension that your planet resides in, you did not die. Clearly. You were ripped apart into dual beings. Both were ghosts of your former self._" Raven's head rose higher, appearing to have gained strength and more curiosity.

"_Both were fragmented pieces of your whole self, never designed to ever meet again. When your friend tried to rescue you, he found the pure soul of your human self, sinless and void of any wretchedness. What he did not find was your pure demonic self, which was I._" She stood up tall, glowering down at Raven, as if she was her subordinate.

"_I was granted freedom by my father. I made every attempt to stifle your friends' rescue attempt. I sent those demon soldiers, and it was I who attempted to silence you before you reached the surface, but Robin…he is a nimble fellow._" Raven glared upwards in the woman's direction, cursing her luck to be born a spawn of an interdimentional demon.

"Why didn't you just kill me when you had the chance? Why didn't you just end it all?" She said, anger rising in her heart. How dare this…entity, something that was once a part of her, hate her so much?

"_We cannot kill each other. I cannot murder you because you are a direct extension of me. It is simply suicide._" She stepped back and sat down, crossing her legs and maintaining a firm and unwavering stare. "_But since my father had given me freedom, and promised me that I would become whole one day, I believed him and did as told. What was not expected, however, was that small part of yourself that you had given your friends in an attempt to protect them. When you took it back, it made you whole once more._" Her dark eyes were glazed with an emotion that Raven could not quite pinpoint.

"_I was thrown into various dimensions and I wandered universes, not quite alive and not quite dead. It has felt like eons since I have been whole…but now, I have finally found you, and I am ready to be whole once more._" Raven felt a deep sense of pity and shame. After all, she was a part of her. She was Raven. "What is the catch then?"

She looked bewildered. "_I do not understand. You don't want to feel complete? Have you not been complaining lately about feeling empty?_" Raven shook her head. She really was haunting her, then.

"Yes, I do, but I have no idea what kind of implications this would have on-"

"_You liar! You do not want to help me? To help yourself?_" She began to grow in height and loomed over Raven's small stature. "_You will do as told, Raven Roth! You will be the vessel that will bring mankind to its knees!_" She rushed into the body of Raven, coursing through her veins and absorbing the pace of her heart into her own. Raven felt as if her skin was on fire and her organs were being disturbed. Agony wreaked havoc on the steely barriers of her mind and she gripped her hair and let out an excruciating moan.

She felt as if her mental wirings were being rearranged, and her stomach churned severely. Claws forced their way through her fingertips and her forehead began to sweat profusely. She rose to her feet, low growls bubbling from the depths of her throat. She turned to the opposite end of the alley and noticed a man standing on the corner on a smoke break.

She grinned sickeningly, launching herself forward and galloping on her hands and feet towards the civilian's direction. Before the man realized his demise, she had a firm hold on his long ponytail as she dragged him back into the alley and gripped his neck, slamming his back against the brick.

"You are mine," She spat with venom, watching the helpless man whimper. She laughed mercilessly and grabbed his wrist, sinking her claws into his flesh and veins. Blood pooled around her fingers and she dropped her jaw open to drain his dripping essence while he shrieked in pain.

"Raven?!"

She turned her head in the voices direction, snarling with visible bloodied teeth, and grinded her claws deeper into the man's wrist. She tossed him to the side and he quickly scurried away, holding his arm in deep confusion and fear.

Robin stood at the end of the alley, watching the monstrous visual that he had mistakenly walked into. He slowly approached the rabid animal that Raven had become. "Raven, what happened to you?" She wiped the dripping blood on her chin and licked it off her finger. "More…."

Robin rushed towards her and grabbed her wrists before she could attack him, pinning her down on the ground and forcing his weight on her body. "No, this is not _you_, snap out of this!" She shook her head, growling loudly and howling "No" repetitively.

He shook her body, forcing her head to flop back and forth and she stopped moving.

"Raven…don't do this."

After moments of silence, she coughed heavily and slowly opened her eyes. Her eyebrows knitted together with a heavy burden, and tears began to stream down her face. "Please, Robin, please…help me, Azar, help me! I don't want to be this…" She shook her head, weeping.

Robin stared at her in pity, feeling his heart getting heavy. "Be what? What are you?"

She bit her lip hard, tasting the metallic flavor of her own blood. "Please, don't tell. Don't tell them." Robin looked at her, confused. She had sincerely exposed her emotions to him, and he could hear destruction on the streets as a result of her loss of control.

"Don't tell them!" She cried with more aching shame. Robin had no choice. He stood up and lifted her in his arms and gawked at her heartbreaking helpless appearance. Her hair was disheveled and her clothes were soiled with blood stains. He wished he had all the answers, but he did not even know how this could have possibly happened.

"What's going on? Did you find her…" Beast Boy approached the man with the nearly passed out demoness in his custody. He wore an exhausted expression of shock and grief. "Dude…what the hell happened?"

Robin looked down at Raven, who was gazing at him with low, partly closed eyes. He could read easily that this was something she would review with _him_ only and privately.

"I think she was attacked, but she managed to get away." Beast Boy frowned, working up a fit of rage.

"Where did the guy go? We've gotta take him-"

"We'll take care of him later. Right now, we've got to get her back to the tower.

IIIIIII

"Urgh…"

Robin lifted his head from his newspaper as he noticed the movement underneath the starchy bed sheets in the infirmary. The violet-haired woman who was previously resting had finally opened her eyes. Raven shot up in a sitting position, terror written on her face as if she was afraid of what she could have possibly done in her sleep.

"What am I…what happened, why am I here?" Her attention caught a view of Robin sitting patiently by the side of the bed, and realization hit her as she recognized her surroundings. The expression of immense emotion fell as a sense of somberness overcame her. "Is everyone okay?"

Robin nodded, placing his readings on the desk beside the bed. He moved the chair closer and looked up to her with long eyes. "Did I…hurt someone?" said Raven, turning her head slowly in his direction.

He nodded, lowering his view and rubbing his forehead in frustration. "Do they kn-"

"They don't know. I respected your wishes, but only because I expect you to tell me what was going on. I want the truth." He frowned, staring at her with severe judgment that only masked eyes could be capable of.

Raven nodded, as if she was anticipating his statement. She sighed deeply, recalling all that she could remember from the night before. So many emotions were intertwined with all of the memories, and it was so confusing to match any of them together perfectly.

"She told me why I'm not whole," Raven started slowly. "She said I never died with the portal, I was only ripped apart by my human and demon sides. You saved my human soul…and I gave you guys a part of me that could keep you safe during my father's absolution. When I took it back, it made me…Raven, once again. But not entirely."

Robin cocked his head to the side in wonder. "Not entirely? What happened to your demon side?"

"She was lost forever and disturbed from her home and her natural existence. She has become a separate entity on her own, with a separate personality and a deep sense of hatred for me. She is loyal to Trigon." Robin's eyes widened—afraid of what was to be heard next. Did this mean Trigon was returning?

"She is a part of me, and I could not reject her if I wanted to. She wants to be rejoined, but I do not know what effects it would have on me. At this point, it would be like having two people in one. But when I tried to tell her this, she got angry and…"

She turned her head, gripping the sheets as a massive headache attacked the sensitive centers of her brain. Robin stood up, fearful of the worst. "And what, Rae? What did she do?"

She shook her head wildly and gripped it firmly as if trying to stop the involuntary movement. "I-I…I can't remember.."

"You have to, Raven! You must remember! What did she do to you? **WHAT DID SHE DO?**" Raven suddenly threw her head back and her arms outstretched, and opened her mouth wide as if she was preparing to shriek deafeningly. An almost inaudible wail exited from her, forcing Robin to step back as the electric currents in the tower wavered.

A frightening duel-toned voice dispelled from the depths of her, reminiscent of a monstrous dream that had come to life. "_You shall leave her be! Leave her be at ONCE!_"

Robin reached out and grabbed her arm, yanking her towards him but she pulled back, forcing him to kneel before her as she leaned into his face, her mouth remaining open and her skin turning a faint shade of purple.

"_You will obey. You will stay out of this, you pathetic human._"

Raven pulled herself free and a force pushed her down onto the bed. She lay flat and rigid as she inhaled deeply, and the wailing subsequently stopped. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she turned to face Robin's horror-stricken expression.

"Tie me down. Please."

Robin stared at her in disbelief.

"Please Robin…if you cared for me, you would tie me down." He shook his head, but after witnessing such a horrifying experience, he realized he had to oblige. He looked around the room to find something—anything—that could be used to restrain her. He searched in the shelves of medical tools and utensils and found a roll of bandage gauze.

Robin swiftly wrapped the gauze around her wrists and bound them tightly to the headboard, realizing that he needed much more than a roll. "We need something stronger," Raven whispered, her voice sounding raw. He shook his head again, but stopped when he noticed a few unused chords by the electric socket.

Robin snatched them out and tied them around the already prepared gauze. "Okay, this should be enough," he said with his movement as he stretched across her chest to pull the chord tight around her left arm.

Just as he was about to make a knot, Raven's hand gripped his right arm tightly, trying to pierce his skin with slow-extending claws. He snatched it away and managed to spare a glance of her glazed, blank and dark eyes. Raven pushed him away with her powers and he hit the back of the door, his head slamming harshly against the metal.

The last thing he saw was the room being encased in solid black.

_Yeah, it just gets weirder._

_Thanks a ton to those who reviewed! I truly appreciate it. Stay tuned for more!_

_Oh and, don't forget to review!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Sunlight gleamed through the windows and kissed the scarlet bed sheets that lazily covered Robin's bare abdomen. His eyelids fluttered open and he yawned wide and stretched his achy muscles, embracing the comfort of his soft, spacious bed. His eyebrows wrinkled as he became conscious of his surroundings and the memories of the previous evening floated slowly into the center of his mind.

Robin sat up quickly, confusion setting in. What in the hell happened last night? How did he get in his bed? Where was-

"Good to see you alive."

His head followed the voice and found Raven sitting by his messy desk laden with reports, newspapers and miscellaneous paperwork. She was resting her arm on the tabletop with her head sunk in the fold. She lifted it up to face him and feigned a smile. "Good morning, Boy Blunder."

He spun his body to the edge of the bed, opening and closing his mouth before he found the words he wanted to say. "You stopped her?"

She nodded, her eyes staring intently at the newspaper-covered wall across from her. "It's over. The other Titans had come back just in time from the 'search for my assailant' that you sent them on. My powers were weakened at the time, so I couldn't heal your head in case you had a concussion so I decided to wait here while you slept…in case you needed me in the morning." She rose to her feet and slowly approached him, eying him carefully.

Robin rubbed his head, feeling a slight sore sensation on the back of his skull. Raven stepped to him, her emotions remaining stony and shielded. She stroked her fingers through his soft hair, toying with the messy dark mane until she reached the bottom of his crown and closed her eyes. Blue waves of cooling regenerative energy vibrated from her fingertips and into the slightly swollen raised skin on his scalp. The healing power soothed its way into the bruise and detangled the knots of blood clots and reversed the pain receptors. Slowly, the throbbing ache faded away into a small pinch.

She retracted her hands from the man's hair and gave him a weak smirk. Robin stood up, towering over her, and grinned widely before embracing her without warning. At first, she was reluctant in accepting the hug, but she wrapped her arms around his toned back.

"Thank you, Rae," he whispered, his voice muffled in her hair. She pulled back, staring at him as if his words had stung her inside.

"No, Robin…Thank _you_. You…you helped me, you didn't have to keep this to yourself but you did. And I'm so grateful for that. I can always count on you." She looked away, hiding her blushing cheeks. She sensed a slight fracture in Robin's general emotional barrier.

He nodded humbly. "Just remember, I'd have wanted the same if it were me. Trust me." Raven touched his cheek softly and bid him adieu before leaving his sunlight-soaked room.

IIIIIII

"You guys, check out my tortoise cannon ball!" Beast Boy sprinted towards the pool and leaped forward, morphing into a large turtle before crashing into the water. Moments later, he swam to the surface, squeaking and clicking as a green dolphin. The team finally had the chance to enjoy the new rooftop pool, courtesy of Cyborg's never-ending building renovations.

"Oh yeah, man! Hard work pays off!" Cyborg said excitedly, carrying a large cooler full of various meats and sitting it next to his smoking charcoal grill. He pulled out three massive T-bone steaks, several burgers and a few sausage links and laid them onto the flame-licked sizzling metal. Beast Boy swam up to the edge of the pool and growled in disapproval. "I hope you have some tofu dogs in there for me, dude."

Cyborg batted his hand at the younger man, muttering, "Yeah, sure, whatever."

The three missing Titans made their way to the rooftop from the elevator with an ecstatic Starfire in tow. "Joyous day, friends! We will have a most entertaining party of the pool!" She dropped her beach towel and rushed to the steps down into the water.

Robin tossed a beach ball into the pool and followed the aromatic scent of smoking beef while Raven prepared a spot further away from the commotion to read alone. He inhaled the smells deeply and nudged Cyborg with his elbow, who was checking the current status of his steaks. "So…how'd you pull this off? I mean, how do you dig a hole in a roof for a pool?"

Cyborg chuckled, smiling down at his teammate. Robin was clearly unaware of how technologically savvy he was. "Easy. The base of the pool is lined with my custom-made 23-inch thick glass. Kind of like an aquarium, except its bullet proof, shatter proof, weight and pressure-proof, and has its own personal security system. Trust me; nothing's messing with my pool." He glanced at Beast Boy, who had taken the shape of an elephant and hosed Raven down with a book in her hands.

"Not even Beast Boy?" Robin inquired, watching as Raven grew to a menacing height, infuriated.

"Nope," Cyborg replied, snickering as Raven trapped him in a whirlpool and he morphed into a Tyrannosaurus Rex. He roared deafeningly, but her anger didn't falter. She glared at him with calculating eyes and morphed him into a goldfish, then promptly shrunk back to her small stature.

After a minute or so, Beast Boy's head flew above the water, frustration visible on his face. "Dude, why do you keep doing that? **HOW** are you even doing that?" Team burst with laughter as Robin joined them in the pool, grabbing the beach ball. Raven tugged at her hair, wringing out the water as she continued to scowl at Beast Boy.

"Don't. _Ever_. Do that again," She sneered. Robin tossed the ball in her direction and she caught it midair with her telekinesis.

"Aww, come on, Rae-Rae. Have a little fun, once in a while." Robin grinned, giving her his signature smirk that both irked her to her very core and somehow gave her tickling butterflies in her stomach.

She cocked her head to the side, and Robin felt a sinking sensation inside, as if he had felt a hellfire storm brewing in his gut for a fraction of a second. Raven shrugged, giving in with nothing else left to fight for since she had reluctantly decided against sending Beast Boy to the ninth circle of Hell. Besides, her book was pretty much unsalvageable at this point. Beast Boy was damn well lucky it was not one of her ancient Latin texts or he would have met Satan for sure.

Unexpectedly, she shot the beach ball in Beast Boy's direction with her powers and knocked him underwater, sending green tentacles right-side-up. She turned to Starfire and Robin, who were wide-eyed and moving further away from the demoness.

"I guess, game on, then," Raven said, slowly stepping lower into the pool.

Somehow, the whole scene made Robin stop and smile to himself.

IIIIIII

"Damn it. This thing really is totaled." Raven groaned and threw the matted and thoroughly soiled book down on her bed. She knew she should have gone ahead with banishing Beast Boy to the ninth circle of Hell.

She sat down, laying back and breathed relaxation into her body and mind. Finally, she had a chance to sleep with no worries, no hauntings, and no creepy voice whispering to her in the night… Come to think of it, she no longer felt that empty, incomplete void inside. It was as if she was normal again.

So normal, in fact, that she felt anew and content with herself. Very content…almost overwhelmed with happiness. She rose to her feet, her fists clenching and unclenching as if she _needed_ to exert energy. Adrenaline pumped into her veins and she bit her lip. She was craving…something. She could not quite put her finger on it…-

"Raven?" Robin's muffled voice drifted through the door as he knocked softly. She floated to answer and saw a flat-haired young man grinning sheepishly at her. She cocked her hip to the side, sighing as the impulsive energy slowly died down.

"What do you want, Robin?"

He scratched his head, blushing and seemingly at a loss for words. "I…came to say thanks for joining us. You didn't have to, especially since Beast Boy dumped all that water on you and your book…how is it, anyway? The book, I mean."

She glanced back at the interior of her room, watching the dripping hardback slip and fall off her bed, making a loud thud. _There goes fifteen bucks._ "It's fine. It'll heal, just like me."

Robin bit back a small snicker before normalizing his facial expression before continuing the conversation. "I'll pay for a replacement, if you'd like." Raven shook her head, frowning.

"No, it's fine." The two enjoyed a moment of silence before Raven realized the adrenaline was coming back slowly but surely, and she bit her lip to hold back the pulsing desire to shred Robin's femoral artery-

"I think I should pay you instead," She said quietly. Robin raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"For….what?"

She lowered her eyes. Finally. She put off the urge for a bit longer. She just needed to make it through the rest of the conversation. Leaving abruptly would be too obvious. "For what you did for me."

Robin turned his head in suspicion. "I thought you healing my head was repayment." Raven shook her head again, gripping her thigh anxiously. She did not know just how much longer she could take this agonizing, urging sensation.

"No, that was my fault, it was the least I could do…I would have done it either way. I just…want to show you how thankful I am for you. You're the only person in this world that I can truly trust." Raven offered a small smile, but he lifted his hand in disagreement.

"Raven, I don't want your money." Her smile grew into a slight smirk, and she felt her conscious fighting against the excitement growing inside. Just one more minute…

"I never said I was paying with money." Robin's eyes widened, taken aback. Raven turned around, preparing to return to her domain. She was using all of her self-control…

"I believe you'll appreciate my method of payment. Good night, Robin." With her last words, she shut herself in her room and rushed to the bathroom. Turning the sink faucet on blasting cold, she splashed her face, noticing her forehead perspiring profusely. What the hell was up with her? Why was she consciously flirting with Robin?

No. She hated him. So much that she wanted to see him writhe with pain from extensive torture... She wanted to see him suffer, watch him bleed and beg for mercy. Raven felt aroused from the mere thought of Robin's slow murder. She wanted—no, needed—to taste the pungent fear in his boiling blood.

She recalled Cyborg mentioning the blood supply in the infirmary, and Robin donating several pints a few times a month. Perhaps…No! That was wrong, sick and wrong. She was no vampire and her life did not depend on it. But..something inside ached for the feeling of the copper-flavored nectar to flow down her throat. She phased down into the lower level under her floor and flew feverishly into the infirmary.

Upon her arrival at her destination, she searched through the categorized cooling containers of the red liquid in the small blood bank and found a container labeled "Richard Grayson". Quickly, she snatched a package, ripped off the opening and dumped the contents in her mouth, gulping the blood like a malnourished animal. It was sweet, strong, and…void of what she was craving. Live, unadulterated racing hormones and powerful fear—that was what it was missing.

She felt like an alcoholic drinking a virgin cocktail drink.

She wanted to smell the rush of hot terror surging under someone's skin, rolling into her senses and making her pupils dilate. She felt her blood pumping again, but this time, it was insatiable and unable to be ignored. Something was calling her name. She yearned to be unleashed, and she watched as jet black claws peeled their way through her fingers. The pain was welcomed, and she turned her head to the skyline in the night.

She was going to pay an unsuspecting citizen a visit.

IIIIIII

_Sorry for such a short chapter but I really wanted to get this one out._

_Twenty thousand thank you's to my reviewers! I loved all of your feedback. Thanks, __**mojoboy31 **__for your detailed constructive criticism! I'm thankful that my readers have very keen eyes and point out certain things that I don't always catch myself. I mentioned him in particular because he brought some things up I'd like to clarify._

_First, the page breaks. The breaks I used in the first chapter did not show up in the uploaded chapter. I apologize for that. I should have checked that out before posting; I can see how that could be rather confusing. Secondly, the rating. Although I was not planning on bringing in any citrus-y scenes in this fiction, I thought I should allow the readers to vote on this one. I promise it won't ruin the storyline, but I'll have to up the rating._

_So with that being said, if you guys would like lemons, please let me know. Either way, I have full intentions to post a lemon-y RaeRob fiction/oneshot soon._

_Thank you, and please review!_


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"These cheese puffs are so stale, and yet, I continue to eat them," Control Freak complained as he stuffed his chubby fingers into a family-sized Cheetos bag and mechanically fed his face full of the orange-colored snack. He groaned, flipping through the channels on his wall-fitted television.

"How long must I suffer?" He tossed his remote across his living room in his poorly-maintained apartment. It was only a temporary living situation; as soon as he'd figure out how to manipulate the Teen Titans into robbing every single major Jump City bank for him, he'd be on a plane halfway across the world to a luxurious hotel room full of Comic Con beauties.

A loud thud echoed behind him, and he realized his remote was somehow _tossed back_ and slammed against the wall. He looked down behind his chair at the broken device with wires split everywhere. "What the…?"

"You are just so pathetic, Control Freak." The voice stabbed through the darkness of his living room and his arms stiffened, as if his blood had run cold. He'd know that raspy voice anywhere…

Raven stepped out of the shadows shrouded under her concealing blue cloak. Her eyes had lost the vibrant violet glow and appeared to be much darker, almost reddened. Her head hung low, making her appear to be further more menacing as she continued the rigid eye contact. Control Freak contorted his face into an irritated grimace.

"What are you here for, Raven? The only crime I've committed is continuing to eat these cheese puffs three months after the expiration date." He blinked and the next thing he knew, she was straddling his massive belly, holding his muscles in a locked state and trapping him in her captivating stare. She smirked grimly, and there was something deeply sadistic about the manner that she was watching him.

This was not right. She'd never do this sort of thing out of the blue, let alone by herself. He did not know if he should cower beneath her mighty presence or take her on in a serious fight.

"I don't consider you to be a threat," she snapped. "I don't even consider you to be a bother. In fact, it is my personal belief that you are a purposeless, insignificant organism whose time on this earth is drawing to a close." The sound of her elevating voice became increasingly monstrous and demonic.

Sure enough, there it was. The fear—exactly what she was yearning for. He was her prey and she was the carnivorous sabertooth in control. She observed his terrorized expression for a few more seconds before viciously shredding Control Freak's face and upper chest into a bloody heap of feathered flesh. Raven silenced his screams by stifling his throat with her powers and dug her blood-soaked talons into his cheeks, squeezing them as if she was harvesting orange juice.

She leaned forward and slowly licked a trail of blood dripping from his savagely sheared eye sockets. "There…mmm, now that's what I came for." There were so many emotions wrapped in his life-supporting essence: horror, shock, anger, grief, hatred, and a small hint of lust. It was all so tantalizingly delicious, and the adrenal rush was merely the icing on the cake.

She floated away from the dead body and rose to the ceiling to analyze the murderous scene. Blood was splattered everywhere—all on the walls, seeping into Control Freak's chair, and even on the massive television screen. She looked at her red-stained hands and down at her soiled cloak.

Somehow, she felt relief.

Of course, there was just about nothing that good old telekinetic powers could not clean up. But there was something in her that would never be able to retain again. Something that she had already begun to lose from the moment she set her heart on the kill. Bit by bit, she was losing her humanity.

IIIIIII

Physical training gave Robin an honest-to-God life-giving rush. It was his favorite thing to do in his spare time; not only did it nearly replace the exhilaration of crime-fighting, but it also gave him time to dwell on his decision-making abilities of the day. This week in particular was especially trying for him as he debated with is conscious on the choice to keep such a large secret from the rest of the Titans.

Was it right? Would he have honestly wanted the same from Raven if he was in her shoes? He pummeled a stiff red punching bag, furious sweat dripping down his knuckles, while simultaneously in deep thought. Why would she want something like that to be kept from the majority of the team? Did she fear judgment, repulsion, or even worse—persecution? No one did that to her when she revealed her origins to them. None of the Titans had ever once treated her different.

Unless…there was much more to Raven than meets the eye. Perhaps she intended to confide in Robin—and only Robin—because they had a bond, a mental and emotional connection. She was more than a Titan to him: she was… What was she to him? He swiftly kicked the bag to the side, knocking it clean off the hinge. Robin stopped to take a breath, resting his foot on a stool. He massaged the soreness bothering his calf muscle. He had a feeling it was going to be a bit achy that night.

Now that he thought about it, Raven was so enigmatic to him. Once he had figured he had known all there was to know about her, another one of Raven's black holes of endless mystery would expose itself. And now, a new confusing conundrum was waiting to be solved.

Robin was honored that Raven had rested so much trust in him, but he still questioned why. Surely, it had to be more than their bond. He grabbed his water bottle took a large gulp, remembering what Raven said to him concerning a repayment. Maybe there _was_ something she could do for him.

IIIIIII

The shower was ungodly frigid, but well needed. She sat in the tub, allowing the water to drown her in her deep self-loathing and disgust. She was no better than a scavenging vulture, feeding off death. She felt like a monster, comparable to Trigon himself.

What she did to that man…she could never tell a soul, not even Robin. Definitely not Robin. He would hate her so much. How he did not hate her for hurting that random civilian was a mystery, but there was a difference between injuring and viciously murdering. She looked up in the falling water, reminiscing on her dream and she shuddered from the mere thought.

But…maybe he could understand. Robin had nearly killed all of the Titans before and yet, they forgave him. Raven slid her hands over her damp hair, continuing to try to wash away her sins of the night. She had wanted to _kill_ him; she had desired to bring pain and suffering to Robin. Something so sinister could not simply go away—she would always be plagued by the mere consideration of committing such an atrocity.

She had absolutely no idea what had possibly influenced her to kill Control Freak, only the idea that it completely and utterly justified. He was a non-factor; an irrelevant pest to society. No one would miss him, but it did not explain why she wanted to hurt Robin. She had flashes of his imagined death: one with his bones deafeningly cracking and snapping between gnashing teeth, one with his insides being disemboweled, and one—undeservingly her favorite—where he was being skinned alive. She felt as if she was going insane with such villainous notions swarming in her mind.

She needed help, desperately.

IIIIIII

Robin gazed in amazement at the new shimmery blue rectangle visible on the ceiling in the common room. Cyborg literally dug into the cemented roof and lined the pool with glass—giving the ceiling a watery sky window. It was a nice touch and something new to brighten the building, but he was pretty sure a total makeover was bound to come next.

"So…what's Cyborg planning on building next?" said a familiar raspy voice, and he looked down to see his fellow bird standing beside him under her hood. He hated when she snuck up on him like that. She was holding her cloak tightly around her body.

Robin shrugged his shoulders. "God knows. Probably planning on turning the T-car into a Murceilago. So…what's new?" Raven's eyes remained locked forward, and her presence was more distant than usual.

"I need to talk with you privately," She said coldly. Robin furrowed his eyebrows, sensing the sudden serious tone in her voice.

"Is it urgent?"

She looked in his direction, but still not quite meeting his eyes, as if he was going to see the darkness in her soul if he stared too long. "If _you _see it that way, then yes." Robin remained quiet for a few moments, staring at his shoes as if he was trying to formulate his next words to speak. He reached down to rub his previously sore calf.

"Well, I was thinking about what you said, and that you wanted to pay me back. I figured, why can't I choose your method of payment? So…I'd like you to come have a private physical training session with me, and that way we can talk." He looked to her shrouded face, and so far, nothing visible to the naked eye was broken yet.

After a strange silence, she nodded in approval. "Okay, Robin. I'll agree to that, since you've been _dying _to be my personal trainer. Just don't overwork me, or I may react violently." She snickered softly and glided away from him as the raucous noises of the other awakened Titans began to float into the domain.

IIIIIII

"Good, very good, but kick a little higher, push yourself," Robin urged as Raven assaulted the bag, exerting more energy with each effort she made to land the top. Robin noticed she was getting rather exhausted quickly and pulled the punching bag away from her. She lowered her stance, irritation evident in her demeanor. She knew he was going to play her personal trainer.

"Stop, Raven. You're tiring yourself out too quickly. Retain all of that energy first, then launch yourself swiftly and retract swiftly. Try again." He shoved the bag forward, watching Raven's performance as she braced herself and in a sharp movement, she kicked the bag backwards, knocking Robin off his feet.

She walked up to his grounded position, exuding pride, and reached down to pull him up. "Didn't I tell you not to overwork me, Robin?" He glowered at first, but his face softened as he realized that she had followed his exact instructions.

"Nice job, Rae. Next time-" He lifted up from the floor, dusting off his sweatpants-"-go easy on the swing." He stopped to take in her magnificent form; she was well toned with a backside and a solid abdomen, and by the looks of it, she really did not _need_ this particular workout. "This really is a walk in the park for you, huh?"

She turned her head to the side, slowing her racing heartbeat heavy breathing. "What are you saying, Robin?" She floated a bottle of water to her grasp.

"Well, I feel like I'm being too easy on you."

Raven contorted her face, clearly bothered. "Yeah, you _are._ I'm pretty sure you run yourself ragged when you do personal training sessions. So why are you having me attack a punching bag when we could've already turned up the pressure?" Robin smiled. She had absolutely no idea what she was provoking.

He pulled at his chin, raising an eyebrow. "So…what are you proposing?" Raven unwrapped and wrapped her knuckles, a small smile growing on her face like the sunrise on a gloomy morning. She walked towards him, albeit intimidating while clenching her jaw. She rested her hands on her hips, standing dangerously close to Robin's position. She was so close that he thought he could smell her minty shampoo as bold as if he had stuck his face in her violet hair.

"How about a _little_ sparring session?"

Robin almost bit back a laugh. "Seriously? As in, a _physical_ hand-to-hand combat session?"

She nodded, playfully punching him in the arm, but with a bit more force than he anticipated. He stared at the empathy before him, feeling her pick him apart emotionally from the beginning to the end. He threw up barriers haphazardly, knowing that it would keep her at bay for only so long. He felt so vulnerable at the moment, but then again, the offer was not as bad as he realized. His ego realized that it would not mind _somewhat_ of a challenge.

He stood taller, broadening his shoulders and grinning cockily. "Okay, Raven." His face fell into a severe seriousness. "Let's go."

Robin felt a whizzing strike at the side of his head, making his head spin and his vision disappeared momentarily. He looked up to see Raven retracting her foot, maintaining a defensive stance.

"Just to let you know, this is entirely physical. I won't use my powers." She winked and jabbed at his jaw, but he dodged her fist in time and swept his foot under her ankles, landing her flat on her bottom.

"And just to let you know, this is _my_ superpower, if you will. _I_ excel at it." She growled, and Robin swore he saw a monstrous image flash across her face. She rolled backwards onto her haunches and rose to her feet, also dodging a flying fist coming her way.

She gripped his left hook and used it to her advantage to break his momentum and threw him backwards against a wall. Robin felt the pounding pressure against his spine, and knew for a fact that he was bruising in the morning. Raven _was_ serious. He wrapped his fingers around her still-connected hand and pulled her close enough to effectively knee her in the flank. At the same time, she caught him with a furious uppercut, of which the damage was reduced due to the needlepoints of pain streaming up the side of her ribcage.

She stepped back, feeling the force of Robin's fist onto her cheek. An onslaught of fists flew forward in her direction and Raven was knocked backwards, only to push back on her palms and dropkicked him out of her way. A sudden irrational bubble of rage rose from the bottom of her soul, as if it was triggered. The fire, the excitement, the urges—they came creeping back into Raven's conscious. _No, fight it…_

Robin roundhouse kicked her, landing perfectly on her temple and giving her brain a world of a headache in less than a second. _No, Raven._ She turned around and swiftly backhanded him and yanked his skull backwards. _Ignore it._

Raven slammed his face sideways onto the wall, and his cheek slid across the blandly painted glossy surface. Her vision was slowly blurring and being replaced by something else inside of her. She pulled him back and roughly forced him forward to look her in the eye. Wrapping her fingers around his throat, Raven leered at him, as if she bore holes into his pupils.

_I can't take it anymore!_

But somehow, there was no fear, no horror. He stared back at her, face stony and unreadable. Robin's lip dropped and his eyes lowered, and she smelled…something else. His hand reached out to her, reaching for her face. She dropped her hold on his neck reluctantly, sensing no more danger, and he tugged her towards him. She could hear his pulse on his neck, rapidly beating and his mental barriers slowly broke down.

He saw something in her, something alive that stunned him into a mystifying trance. Those glowing eyes spoke to him; they whispered words of unfathomable pleasures…and he had never experienced such an event in his life. He forced her lips upon his and she unquestionably accepted his request.

Robin kissed her with fervor, yearning for something, anything that felt right. He cupped her face tight, wanting some type of clarification that she was real and what he saw was real. Keeping his lips in contact with hers and hoisting her up into the air, he spun around and pushed her against the wall, gripping her thighs and earning a soft moan into his mouth. Raven tugged on his messy hair tightly, encouraging his eyes to roll to the back of his head.

Yes, he knew it. It was real and true. He wanted her, needed to feel inside her, and it was meant to be. She bit his lip, demonstrating that she evidently ached for him as well. She wanted him, and she clearly wanted him to _own _her. She clamored at his toned back, peeling through his skin and he let out an eager groan, exposing his throat to her and she lay her tender lips on his Adam's apple.

The ripped flesh on Robin's back began to knit itself together until there was no evidence of a single gash. He felt adrenaline rushing through his veins, bringing him a sense of a new awakening and life. She _was_ his and he had come to claim her. He looked down at Raven, whose eyes were a glorious hue of deep, bloody crimson. His vision began to fade, but it mattered not. As long as he could find his way into her calming center of heaven, he would not ever need his sight…

Raven's eyes shot open wide and as if she was hit with realization, she pushed him off of her and fell to her knees. She was silent, mouth agape and fearful emotions swarming around her. She hugged herself, wearing a horrified, maniacal expression.

Robin looked down at her, feeling mental state and vision normalize and he fell to his knees in front of her. "Wha…what's-"

"Robin, I'm a monster. I'm no better than my father." She hung her head, holding in her building tears. He shook his head in disbelief, incredibly confused. What had just happened?

"What happened?"

"I need help. I can't-I just-" Robin grabbed her arms and shook her, watching the tears stream down her cheeks. She was an emotional wreck and reaching out to the universe in all directions. He was tired of seeing her like this—and tired of being invited into her mind only to be pushed right back out.

"Stop this! Talk to me! I can give you all the help I can, but you must tell me what is wrong-"

"I KILLED CONTROL FREAK!" She shrieked, finally breaking down in a heap of sorrow.

IIIIIII

_I wanted this chapter to be full of a multitude of spices, so if it ended up being a bit confusing, that's why (smiles). I'm very excited and awaiting you guys' opinions._

_Thank you, thank you, thank you to my reviewers! I'm so happy to know that each chapter has been a general improvement from the last. I do wish to grow as a writer and everyone has been super helpful._

_I appreciate the extensive reviews of __**mojoboy31**__ and __**Xaphrin**__ (who's work I've been the biggest fan of) as well as all supporters._

_Don't forget to review!_


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

He kept shaking his head, hoping that somehow, this would reveal itself as a joke. This could not possibly be real. "No," Robin whispered, watching Raven rock as she sobbed painfully. Only one other word came to mind out of sheer curiosity and confusion. "Why?"

She lifted her head, shaking it in disagreement. "I don't know why, Robin! I have no idea. Something made me do it, I swear… I wanted to hurt him for-for what, I don't know! I just kept thinking, no one would miss him." She turned away in shame. She could not for the life of her understand why she was telling him this.

"I wanted to hurt someone…I-I... I couldn't bring myself to do it to...C-Control Freak was my way of letting this…this craving out of me without hurting someone I love." She looked back at him, observing his uniform expression that only appeared as pure shock.

"I don't want this, Robin, I need help. This isn't _me!_ This isn't who I am! I fought my father to keep my humanity, and I feel as if I'm losing to him once again...I can't explain why I feel this way and I cannot continue to live like this—I don't want to hurt anyone anymore!" Robin rose to his feet, pacing to the opposite side of the gym. She could not tell if he was angry or sympathetic of her; he was surrounded by a sea of unrelated emotions. After what seemed like a lifetime of silence, he turned around to face her, his face resembling a soulless robot.

"The fact of the matter is…you murdered someone, and to exempt you outside of any other murderous criminal would be hypocritical of me." Raven stared in disbelief, but she knew she should have known that self-righteous Robin would have wanted to throw her in jail. She had only hoped that he would try to honestly help her.

"I'm going to talk this over with the other Titans. It's time they know what exactly is going on. This…secret we have, it's going to have to stop. The team will vote on what will be your fate." He prepared to walk out of the gym, but Raven's choked voice urged him to pause.

"Robin, please! This isn't...-I'm not a killer, don't you understand? Something is taking control of me-"

"You killed _someone, _Raven!" He sneered loudly. "You took someone's life! Regardless of your circumstance, you did it!" He promptly exited, leaving Raven in a panicking state.

No, no, no, stop this! Please, Azar, help me!" She cried out loud, her handsreaching outward to the ceiling and tears pooled around her eyes once again. This was not the way it was supposed to turn out. Somehow, a small part of her was still so sure that Robin was going to forgive her sins like some Catholic priest. She was still hopeful, but now, everything was crashing down around her.

She clawed at her face, slamming her skull against the wall and squirming in agony. Her skin rippled with a sensation of peeling flames licking at the surface, and her eyes rolled back into her head. Something was happening to her from the inside out. She felt as if her tears were evaporating with every droplet and her gums tingled. She bit her lip and winced as lengthening fangs pierced her skin and the onyx claws ripped through her fingers. Raven was changing into a deep, purplish shade of grey.

The pain was filling her strained threshold as she pulled herself into a fetal position, prompting her skin to raise and bubble down her spine. _Azar, have mercy..._ Thorny bone ripped through her flesh and rearranged itself underneath her back like a parasitic animal pushing its way out of her body. The deafening sounds of angry bone-breaking cracked and splintered into the form of fleshy wings. Purple locks ferociously cascaded down her back and her collarbone and eventually her breasts.

Escape. It was the only way out of this tragic metamorphosis. She absent-mindedly opened portal beneath her and fell into the hole, unaware of the location she would wind up in. There was nothing at first-cold, unfeeling blankness, and then... A familiar place, much like a mother's womb, warm and comforting at first. Then, she was hit with the realization of her oxygen deprivation as her weight pulled her down, lower and lower until she felt a numb kick. When she reached the surface, she inhaled desperately, attempting to hold tight to the air as waves knocked her every which way. The sudden recognition of her surroundings as her body nearly forced itself into hypothermia from the shock of cold sea water whipped at her form. A rush of energy flooded into her veins as she burst out of the water and into the sky. She rolled in the air, settling to soar over the bay as the salty aroma filled her senses.

Her senses...

They were absolutely.._incredible._. She could hear the Classical music softly echoing into a security guard's ears from his headphones, and could smell the hunger from patrons at a late night café in a hidden corner of the city. Even the pulsating sound waves of a noisy nightclub were visible to her naked eye.

She had never felt such power coursing through her; vibrations of energy glowed from her fingertips and her heart fluttered with the excitement of her newfound freedom. Everything felt new and undiscovered, like an uncultured world.

Seeking a private place to rest, she landed on a rooftop overlooking a business district downtown. The cloudy night sky beckoned the towers surrounding her, fog curling around the steely castles. The water droplets swirled weightless like a school of fish in their habitat. She pulled her wings around her small body, hugging herself as she looked at the space around her.

Raven's silence was interrupted, however, by the cracking sound of the rooftop door shattering like fragile glass. A short, pink-haired woman stepped out of the shadows of the interior, sacks of glistening diamonds in tow. Her comfortably cocky expression fell when she caught sight of the monster occupying the space of the rooftop.

"What the...who the hell are you?" Raven cocked her head to the side, blood rushing into her limbs and she pulled her claws into a fist.

"_Jinx_..."

The woman contorted her face, aggravated by the unexpected company and stepped closer and hugging her treasure tightly to her side. "How do you know my name?"

She turned her body in her direction, raising to her full height and extended her wings, appearing much like a twisted dark angel. Jinx. Hatred overwhelmed her, and thermal heat rose from her pores.

Jinx squinted her eyes, connecting the dots as she glowered at her ruby chakra and that all too familiar violet-colored mane. Her eyes widened and she prepared to expel several spells from her hands-but a wall of dark energy divided the two.

The boundary rolled into a crackling ribbon and wrapped around Jinx's neck, wrists and ankles, pushing her backwards onto the ground. She attempted to resist the strain of the shackles but Raven was already hovering above her, breathing heavily into her face.

"You are a repulsive venomous snake, Jinx. This is the end of the road for you." She licked her lips and sunk her fangs into the top her fleshy breast, momentarily draining it and then ripping out her teeth angrily. The taste of horror and shock-the best flavor of all. She swiftly forced her claws into Jinx's chest, pushing under her ribcage until she could grip her heart, preparing to puncture her cardiovascular muscle and tear it away from the center of her chest.

Tears streamed down Jinx's face and she gasped for her last dying breaths of air. She staredblankly at the animal on top of her, stealing her life away. Out of all the horrible ways she could have possibly died, this was the last on her list, even past burning alive. With all things considered, she was living with no true purpose anyway. She lay still, awaiting her impending death.

_You are human!_

Raven paused. A voice? She could actually hear it at a time like this?

_You are human...wake up, Raven! Don't do this!_

She loosened her hold of the organ. "Don't...what.." Something inside was tugging at her, encouraging her to continue her rampage, but there was something else that was eating away at her. She needed to stop, she knew that for sure. She slowly tugged her hand out of Jinx's chest, unsure of what to do next. It was as if she had a split mind, and her good side was taking control...

Jinx was dying.

Reality set in and she rested her bloodied palms on Jinx's sternum, feeling wrong and right at the same time. Blue-glowing healing energy seeped deep into the woman, wrapping around her heart and knitting her open wound back together. Her skin was merely ripped fabric being repaired as blood began to pump healthily and her heart rate started to normalize. Raven stared sadly at the unconscious woman in front of her, noticing her claws receding into her fingers. The amount of energy she used to heal her was much too large for her to be able to transport herself home.

She stood up and walked to the far end of the rooftop, looking longingly toward Titans Tower and stood like a beacon of justice in the bay. Guilt rose high into her gut, reminiscent of bile. She hung her head in shame as she started on her way back home.

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Robin chewed at his nails, stopped in front of the double doors toward the common room. He felt a sea of uncertainty swimming in his mind as he thought back to Raven's words. Was this right? He figured that it was time to stop playing the friend role and take his place as leader. A secret this large could not possibly be kept from the team.

But then again...

Raven trusted him. She needed his help and it was his duty to aid her by any means. He sighed, adjusting his t-shirt that he incidentally threw on in his urgency. Okay, maybe leaving her crying alone in the gym was not the most gentleman-like thing to do, but he had a reason. _Yeah, a reason to be an asshole..._

He shook his head. Damn his boyish heart. He turned around and marched back to the now empty gym.

IIIIIII

"Thank Azar..."

Raven collapsed on the shore of Titan's island, sinking her fingers into the sand as she silently rejoiced arriving at her destination. Finally. She was pretty sure she was completely tapped out of energy. She could not move a pebble if she tried. After levitating across the bay area and already drained from healing Jinx, she could barely moved a muscle. However, as she began to ponder how to get inside of her safe and secluded living space, she realized that it would not be a wise decision to enter the Tower in a blood-soaked heap in front of her clueless teammates. _Azar, I'm begging you to give me the strength to teleport into my room._

She whispered a small spell in an effort to use as little of her powers as possible, and floated into a portal. When she reached the end of the vortex, she saw Robin sitting quietly on her bed, his head in his hands. He lifted his face, worry visibly written across his forehead.

"Raven. I'm-" She fell forward into his arms. Her matted and messily outgrown hair fell everywhere over her face. Robin tucked his arm under her knees and cradled her to her bed, laying her down slowly as if she was a priceless crystal vase.

He made room for himself and sat by her side, holding her hand. "What happened, Raven? I came back to the gym and you were gone, I was so...I'm going to help you, Rae. I promise. We're going to get through this together."

She turned her head, looking up at his warm and welcoming visage. A ghost of a smile was visible on her face for a fraction of a second before she began to speak.

"I almost killed Jinx."

Robin's lips twitched slightly before he came to some semblance of words to say. "Well...at least you didn't do it."

She sighed and shuttered from the bloody memory of ripping into Jinx's chest. "I...I became a monster, Robin. A real monster. I don't know why, or how, but something in me changed my mind, about killing her. I healed her wounds but it took so much of my powers that I barely got home alive." Raven shifted to her side and pulled her knees close to her breasts. "I'm so scared. I'll admit it. I don't know how to stop this and I don't want it to happen again tonight."

"If it's fine with you, I can sleep in your room. I'll keep watch." Raven shook her head, frowning.

"I can't bear to have you see me like that, Robin." He flashed his million-dollar smile, making her womanhood quiver.

"I couldn't bear to have my team see me wear Slade's uniform." Raven shrugged. Touchè. "I'll sleep on the floor. Got a blanklet to spare?" She smirked softly, but her heart tugged at her painfully as she pointed to her linen closet by the bathroom.

Robin walked over and reached for a blue flannel spread and reached for one of Raven's pillows before she grabbed his hand. He stared at her unreadable amethyst eyes as they lightened with her lowering emotional barriers.

"No. You can...sleep with me. Please."

A smile slowly crept across Robin's face and he dropped the blanket.

IIIIIII

_Don't get your hopes too high... Ha, I'm kidding. Thank you, my wonderful reviewers! I'm glad that everyone is enjoying it! I feel so special that I've got some pretty awesome authors' attention here! I'm so proud! As always, I'll continue to deliver. It gets pretty crazy from here...so stay tuned and review!_


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Starry skies over rolling plains...

That was what Raven's ceiling reminded him of. Robin lay awake for the past hour, staring at the clusters of twinkling stars looking directly into his masked eyes. They must have been installed by one of her many mysterious spells, and were scattered strategically like the true night sky. Funny, they reminded him of the way the team painted Terra's... Sigh. He knew there was absolutely no chance of him sleeping that night.

He turned his head to peer at Raven's sleeping form, watching the covers rise and fall as she breathed soundly from obvious exhaustion. She looked...almost perfectly angelic, much like a newborn during their first restful night of life. His stomach churned in disagreement, reminding him that Raven was far from perfect at the moment.

She was a killer, whether she was apologetic about it or not. She murdered Control Freak and damn-near _killed_ Jinx. He shuddered at the thought of just how the two villains had come to meet their fates. Although they were evil, no-good criminals,and he honestly felt no true sympathy for their predicament,_ no one_ deserved to die at the hands of the half-demoness Raven. No one.

Robin faced the ceiling once again, centering his focus on what he figured was representative of the Orion constellation. Why was he doing this? Why was he..._forgiving_ her? He was allowing her to reform his morals and values for the sake of friendship. He should have told the Titans. He should have locked her in the captive's room until daybreak the moment she confessed to him. Maybe then, Jinx would not have been put in danger, or anyone else for that matter.

But was she putting anyone else in danger? Besides that initial random civilian, she was lashing out at her enemies, and in particular, people who were not generally innocent. His heart skipped a beat when he unfortunately remembered what had happened to him not too long before the formation of the Teen Titans. He put himself in her shoes and knew that he was there at one point... He wanted to kill. He had once made a mistake long ago, and whenever the memory surfaced, it would only make him feel sick to his stomach. No, Bruce assured him that there was no need to feel guilty and that it was not his fault. Nine years had passed, and he still thought back to that frosty night in Gotham, and he considered it to be his true loss of innocence. Taking someone else's life had haunted him for years, and it was his deepest, darkest secret.

He could forgive Raven before he could forgive himself. Raven was repairable and far more mentally stable than he was, even with the knowledge that she was the bringer of an interdimentional apocalypse. Her hopefulness was so admirable-even after killing another human being.

Robin rubbed his hand across his forehead, yawning simultaneously. He had to come to terms with this before he could even begin to help her. He was not helping a killer-he was helping a friend. Most of all, Raven would not do this intentionally; this must have been the work of an outside source. He shifted his head again before his attention was caught by Raven's furrowing eyebrows and silent mumbling. Even in her dreams, she appeared to face internal conflict. Robin shook his head and readjusted himself into a more comfortable position. _Maybe she's just fussing over having to redecorating her room... _He chuckled to himself softly before eventually resting in a deep slumber.

IIIIIII

_She pulled cloak tightly around her shivering body, afraid to shift her eye contact. Standing directly in front of her was a menacing figure, donned in a red hooded cloak. Raven winced as the being lifted its head to pull back the hood only to show a reflecting face with a second set of glowing red orbs. She'd recognize her anywhere..._

_"Rage."_

_"No, that is not my name. I am Raven. I no longer reside in your mind as an aspect of your personality." Rage pulled her cloak off of her body and tossed it away in the endless darkness, displaying scarlet-glowing tattoos etched in her skin. A small grin curled upwards toward her cheeks._

_Raven moved her head slowly, holding her eyes still and unmoving. "You are...Rage. You are the demon in my heart, the other half of me. But you are not Raven."_

_" I AM Raven!" Rage screamed, clenching her fists. "I am the gem, born of evil's fire! I existed outside of your physical vessel-"_

_"That does not make you ME," Raven whispered softly, and Rage's eyes narrowed into slits and turned her head sideways._

_"Is that so? If I am not you-" She stepped forward, making her way closer to Raven-"Then it must have been you that killed that slob Control Freak. You must have been the one enjoying this...you must be craving blood, death, and fear!" She sneered with a condescending tone in her voice._

_Raven closed her eyes and shook her head, biting her bottom lip hard. "No, that's not me! That's..." She felt her heart drop as a full understanding of everything finally hit her. Rage was correct. She was no longer a simple segment of her personhood; she was Raven, too. She was slowly but surely taking over her body and forcing it to conform to her agenda. It was just as Raven suspected-there was two different Raven's inside her mind, and Rage was thinking, feeling, and plotting separately from the influence of true Raven's core._

_Rage nodded slowly as if she was aware of Raven's epiphany. "Think of it this way, my love...I'm only showing the world what you are truly capable of and what you are. You are a demon." She snatched Raven's face, gripping it tightly in her hands. "That is what you are, what you have always been, and what you will become."_

_She moved closer to her face, placing her lips onto Raven's ear. "This is your truth. It is only...a matter...of time."_

Raven's eyes snapped open and she rose in her bed, breathing heavily and her heart was racing. She turned to see Robin snoring by her side. _Thank goodness... _As frightened as she was of her new-found knowledge, she was not ready to have a full conversation about this until the morning.

She looked outside her window to be sure that her experience was only in her dreams, and that the world was not peeling apart by the very fabrics of reality at the cue of Rage's last words.

Raven pulled back the covers and slipped out of bed, making her way to the illuminated window. The luminous full moon bathed her pale skin with delicate moonlight, and for the moment, everything felt...right. She looked down at her fingers, watching the glow reflect on her nails, and noticed tiny dark slits at the tips. The visible heads of her claws inched their way outwards, shining like polished black diamonds. Rage was turning her into a full-fledged demon, that was for certain.

She had to find some way to stop this process. Raven was a good person, or at least, she tried to be. She was a superheroine, and she was making every effort to use her powers the right way.

As Raven enraptured herself in her thoughts, she heard Robin shimmying further down so the sheets could cover his head. She snickered quietly, but stopped when she remembered how shocked she was seeing him waiting for her in her room. What could have made him change his mind? At the time of her confession, he looked so sure that he had lost all faith in her. He had distanced himself so that he could find it in his heart to condemn Raven as a criminal, not a Titan. But when she returned and saw his face, he appeared guilty and heartbroken, as if he thought his puppy had ran away from home. It was the strangest sight to see. She shrugged to herself; perhaps, he missed her? The relationship she had with Robin was...confusing.

Suddenly, a lost memory flooded back into her mind, something that she was not sure even happened... The gym...Robin...she... Raven gasped aloud, quickly covering her gaping mouth. She and Robin..._kissed_? The emotions embedded in the memories were too intense for the scene to be a simple peck on the lips. No, she remembered the furious lust that she smelled coming from his pores, and she felt his incredible hardness...why did she not remember this before?

"Are you okay, Raven?" Robin's husky and groggy voice interrupted the still silence in the room. She turned around to see him rubbing the fatigue out of his eyes. "Did something happen?"

She shook her head walked back to the bed, eyes focused on his mannerisms while she held tight to her reeling thoughts. Her mouth opened and closed until she found the strength to speak.

"No...I was awoken out of my sleep. Robin...do you remember what happened, you know, before I told you that I...what happened to Control Freak...do you remember?" He groaned in frustration and pinched the bridge of his nose, contemplating.

"We...were training. Then we sparred and...that's all I can-"

"Try." She rested her hand on top of his in an attempt to help speed his memory rearrangement. While dodging around his weakened mental barriers, she gave him a slight push that was barely detectable, but still effective. Robin chewed at the side of his bottom lip, as if he was figuring things out on his own. he lifted his head and locked eyes with her, eyes widened.

"We kissed? No...did we have-"

"I think I seduced you."

Robin raised an eyebrow, biting back a cackle. "You...what? Ha, okay. Humor me." Raven silently growled, annoyed by his arrogant masculinity.

"I didn't do it intentionally. I mean, I think I blacked out somehow. We were really close to going...there." She gazed past his eyes, envisioning his toned form under her.

"So, we didn't have sex?"

"No!" Raven snapped, shaking her x-rated visions out of her mind. "We didn't. I didn't do that to you...Robin, it hasn't been me doing all of this." He sat up straight, his emotions radiating disappointment. _Then again...who would want to have a night with Raven that they could not remember?_

Raven sighed and pulled herself further on the bed, crossing her legs and facing him. This was going to be her last sleepless night, being plagued by the troubles in her mind, body, and soul.

"I didn't ask for this. I didn't want to be born a half-demon, but I was, and no matter what, somehow I'm always haunted by this aspect of me. She-She is named Rage. She was a part of my being, and now that she's returned, she's become a personality on her own. She considers herself to be me, and she's turning me into a full-fledged physical demon and-" her hands were shaking with fear, claws rearing their heads on her fingers. Tears filled the wells of her eyes.

"I can't do this! I refuse to hurt you, Robin! I couldn't do it before-I can't do it now!" Robin grabbed her wrists, trying to shake her out of her fear-driven stupor. She was losing control; he watched as glistening fangs slipped under her lips.

"You won't hurt me, Raven! I'm here! We're going to stop this together." He held her hands tightly in his grasp, focusing intently on her now slowing erratic breath. Her eyes remained sealed shut, and silence cloaked the room for what seemed to be forever.

Suddenly, her eyes flew open, emanating a blood red glow that froze Robin's soul solid. A jagged toothy grin spread wide and she screeched, sending Robin flying into wall.

A duel-toned voice roiled out from between her lips, searing a horrific cryptic message into Robin's conscious: "Long Live Scath."

IIIIIII

_I'll be updating quickly from here on out! Thanks a ton to **Xaphrin **for talking some sense into me! I got a new tablet and its been a bit frustrating to create documents on it. I've got to get used to it. Anyway I got lazy because of the new system and all but I'm getting my groove back. So yeah, had to establish the emotional confusion between the birds._

_Thanks for all of the support and let me know what you think!_


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